During the past recent years, personal computers have become an increasingly popular tool for office workers. In a typical office arrangement, the display screen of the computer is placed on an ordinary secretarial-type desk for observation by the user in a sitting position. This set-up has been designed primarily for multi-task office workers whose duties do not require long computer work sessions. An example is a secretary who must perform a plurality of tasks without leaving her workstation, such as conducting correspondance, answering the telephone, filing papers and only occasionally interfacing with the computer through the display screen.
This working environment is not well-suited for performing long and sustained computer work sessions where the user must be able to keep his concentration as long as possible. One reason is the glare on the display screen caused by ambient light which after a certain time produces eye strain and the resultant loss of concentration. Secondly, the open area arrangement often adopted for secretarial-type work stations exposes the user to external stimuli such as noise and strong lighting conditions producing distraction. Thirdly, the chair used with secretarial type work stations is not optimized to provide comfort during long time periods because it is designed to maintain the back of the body in a virtually upright position and as a result, most of the body weight is supported on the posterior creating pressure points and discomfort. Accordingly, the user is tempted to change its position on the chair often, which produces distraction.
The problem of glare on display screens has been recognized and addressed in the past recent years by those skilled in the art. In an attempt to provide an efficient solution, glare reducing filtering devices have been proposed either in the form of screen shields or eye-glasses for the user. Although these solutions can enhance the user concentration by diminishing eye strain, distractions from external stimuli and an uncomfortable sitting position still contribute to decrease the worker's level of productivity and performance.